(Photo credit: Scott Kinser-Imagn Images)

Charlotte FC will be short-handed when they visit Eastern Conference heavyweight FC Cincinnati on Sunday night.

Following a break for the Leagues Cup, Charlotte (12-11-2, 38 points) will aim to push itself away from the playoff bubble with a positive showing against Cincinnati (15-6-4, 49 points). Charlotte got the best of Cincinnati in their latest meeting with a 2-0 home win on March 15.

After a lackluster Leagues Cup campaign, Charlotte will have to continue its season without star attacker Pep Biel, who strained his hamstring and will miss up to six weeks of action.

'I don't think you can (replace him). I think he's unique. The qualities he has are few and far between in the league, being honest,' Charlotte head coach Dean Smith said of Biel. 'It's hard to replace him like-for-like.'

Charlotte aso will be without captain Ashley Westwood due to a yellow card suspension.

FC Cincinnati are also involved in a fierce race further up the table. Cincinnati entered the weekend in second place in the race for the Supporters' Shield, one point behind the Philadelphia Union.

'We don't talk much about the Supporters' Shield. We talk about progress,' FCC head coach Pat Noonan told the Cincinnati Enquirer.

'We talk about week to week; what does it look like for us to continue to get better? We're in a pretty good place right now when it comes to understanding how to do that. Everybody knows where we're at.'

Unlocking Evander, a frontrunner for the league's Most Valuable Player award, will be essential to claiming victory at TQL Stadium. The Cincinnati star has scored 15 league goals and assisted eight more through 23 matches.

'Evander's obviously found his feet,' Smith said. 'He's a top-quality player, and he's the standout player we have to be aware of on Sunday because he can take a game from anyone.'

Another storyline to watch is whether Cincinnati forward Kevin Denkey can suit up for the match.

Noonan said the Togolese star's leg injury was 'trending in a good way' and he could make an appearance against Charlotte. Denkey has scored 12 league goals but has been sidelined since July 12.

--Field Level Media